


A Great Year

by simonsnoww



Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe- Teachers, Emotional Hurt, Eventual Romance, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Greg's Ex is the Worst, Infidelity, M/M, References to Depression, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-02
Updated: 2018-11-17
Packaged: 2019-07-05 23:01:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15873483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/simonsnoww/pseuds/simonsnoww
Summary: Greg is a Literature teacher and he's just moved schools to Baker Street Academy, where he meets the mysterious and elusive maths teacher Mycroft Holmes.Can past circumstances allow them to find love, or will they continue unhappy?





	1. Day 1

Greg rolled his shoulders, climbed off his bike and sighed.  Another year, another school, a fresh start.  Baker Street Academy wasn’t the best school in the whole world, but it certainly wasn’t the worst.  But still he felt a pang of longing, missing St. Agnes’- his last school, the local Catholic Secondary, which he had loved teaching at.  He missed the familiar cheery “hello” from Mrs Blackthorne, the RE teacher, the grumble given by Mr Thompson, the technology teacher, and the familiar whirl of the coffee machine- always the perfect coffee.  But most of all, he missed him.  The other Lestrade.  David and Greg had been a perfect partnership, working together, living together, and loving each other.  They’d gotten married in the spring, but by the following year it was over.

 

 He set his helmet down, and tied his bike up. He sluggishly made his way into the building, stifling a yawn.

 

 “Hello, I’m the new literature teacher- Mr Lestrade. I was wondering where to go?”  he smiled at the receptionist.  She flushed, knocking over a pile of paper.

“Let me get that for you,” he said, flashing another beaming smile.  He gently passed over the papers, and once again the receptionist flushed.

“That’s um, up the stairs, turn left and then there’s a door on the right.  That’s the staffroom.”

“Thank you very much.  Hopefully we can talk later,” he smiled once again, before leaving and following her instructions.

 

He watched the blush rise on her cheek again. Flirting at the receptionist isn’t going to help him in the future, he mentally chastised himself, plus he’s not even attracted to her gender.  Oh well, maybe a friend in the future- if she doesn’t hate him when he reveals that he’s gay.

 

***  

 

He walked into the staffroom, and noticed that he was one of the first to arrive.  Early arrival- first day nerves.  Usually he’d be in just before the bell for registration went, sometimes stumbling in, and having to prise himself off David after a particularly good date night, holding hands until an especially religious parent shot them a look in the car park. 

 

A cheery “hello” broke him out of his musings.

“Hello.  I’m Dr Stamford- Mike.  You must be new?” Greg observed the cheerful man.  Smiling, rather portentous and heavy looking, but generally harmless.

“Hello.  I’m Mr Lestrade- Greg.  Yeah,” he ran his hand through his hair self consciously, “I’m the new Lit teacher.”

“Oh, Lit.  I was never much good at that me self,” Mike said, revealing his Geordie accent, “I’m a biology and chemistry teacher.  I was a doctor, but I’ve found this to be a bit more my pace.” He chuckled. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure I know a Lestrade.  Uncommon name isn’t it.  Yeah, Davie, he’s a biology teacher at St. Agnes’.  Canny bloke him.  I only met him, maybe last summer.  It was at a science teacher conference in Bristol, I think.”

“Yeah, David’s my ex-husband,” Greg confessed with a smile, “He decided to keep the name though, and the house, and the money,” he sighed, “Mind though, I don’t want to sound bitter,” he quickly continued. 

Mike didn’t look particularly phased at his admission of his sexual orientation.

As if by fate, at that moment a crowd of teachers walked in, to save Greg from the awkward silence.

He got around to introduce himself to all of the teachers, trying to remember everyone’s name and what they taught.

 

Eventually another teacher walked in, and stood by the door, and everyone fell silent.

 

“Hello everyone.  Just to start off with the formalities.  We have five new teachers this year: Mrs Barton, Physics, Mr Thomas, IT, Ms Layton, History, Miss Jackson, Maths and Mr Lestrade, Literature. Now we haven’t had an inspection in a number of years, so it could be this year.  Please ensure that your teaching is constantly up to standard, and if anyone has any problems ensure that you report to the appropriate people. I’m sure that I don’t have to tell you that it is of uttermost importance to start the year off right. We need to ensure that students are not allowed to slack off because it is the first day.  Lets make this a great year for our students and for Baker Street Academy.”

 

Greg cast an approving eye over the speaker. Ginger, probably curly, but straightened to an inch of its life, hair, long legs, sharp three piece suit- just his type. 

 

“Who’s that?” he asked Mike.

“That is Mycroft Holmes.  Head of maths, and deputy head- he’s the record youngest deputy head in the school’s history.  He’s pretty aloof though- he doesn’t eat with us, or really socialise.  Mind, he’s an amazing teacher, last year all of his students got A*s.  He can just get through to them.”

“Oh okay.”

“I wouldn’t really bother with him.  If you get on his wrong side, bad things can happen.”

Greg chuckled, but before he could reply another teacher came over to escort him to his registration class.


	2. A Collision

The days blurred: waking up, getting dressed, teaching, coming home, falling asleep on the couch, sometimes ordering a takeaway if he felt in the mood. He often thought he had nothing to live for. No love, no children, no life. Every so often he’d scroll through Facebook, looking at David’s constant updates- dates, new house, new life, engagement with a ‘wonderful man.’ David’s idyllic life, and Greg’s mundane life, barely living. He’d lost his passion for literature, his zest for life- holidays, exploring, taking photographs all the time, scrapbooking, reading new books, reading old books, finding old books in Charity Shops. He missed his old life. He missed David.

***

It was a crisp October morning when Greg decided to get the bus into work. He’d marked 8.4’s books the night before- all 30 of them- and he couldn’t face carrying them into school. The bus came at either 6:58 or 7:58. But he had to be in school by 8:15, and a 20 minute bus ride would mean that he’d either be really early or on time (but chances are he’d arrive late). He grumbled having to wake up at 6:30, wincing in the cold shower as of course the hot water wasn’t working. The bus was early, and the traffic was light, so he arrived at school for 7:10. He rushed through the school double doors, and burst straight into none other than Mycroft Holmes himself.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry-” Greg began to apologise.  
“No need, Mr Lestrade- is it?”  
“Yeah, that’s right. Greg, please,” he leaned over to pick up his fallen books.  
“Gregory, you look absolutely freezing. Please allow me to get you a hot drink?”  
“Thank you, that sounds amazing. Mr Holmes…” he trailed off awkwardly.  
“Mycroft.”  
“Mycroft it is.” Greg turned as if to go to the staff room, but Mycroft gently touched his arm, and steered him away.  
“It would probably be easier if you put your books in my office. I know an agreeable little café close to the school that we could visit.”

Greg took an intake of breath. He’d wanted a quiet morning, sitting in his classroom, as he did every morning. The staff room was utterly overwhelming. Then again, he had wanted to make new friends… Perhaps coffee with another teacher wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.


	3. Distinguished

They arrived at the café quickly, in Mycroft’s clearly brand new car.

 

“Bit flashy for a maths teacher,” Greg teased.

“Well a man must have his vice, and unfortunately mine is spending an obscene amount of money on new cars.”

 

Greg chuckled quietly, as Mycroft led him into café.

 

“What would you like?” gently asked Mycroft.

“Um, an espresso please.  Hang on, I’ll get you the money.”

“No, not at all.  This is on me.”

“Mycroft, please.  We barely know each other, let me pay.”

“No, certainly not.”

 

Mycroft arrived shortly after to the table that Greg has sat down on, carrying a tray with an espresso and a cappuccino, as well as two rather delicious looking pastries. 

“One espresso, and one orange sugar Danish pastry.”

“My god Mycroft, there’s no need.”

“Don’t be silly, I wanted one for myself as well.”

 

Greg took a bite from his pastry, and made a tiny moan.

“Wow, that’s amazing.”

“I’m pleased you’re enjoying it.  So how is Baker Street Academy treating you?”

“It’s alright.  I wasn’t really expecting to move jobs this year, so I’m finding it a little challenging.”

“Where did you work previously to Baker Street?”

“I worked at St. Agnes’.  I was there… must have been seven years.”

“Wow, there’s no way you’re old enough to have been there that long!”

“Thanks Mycroft, but unfortunately my hair turning slightly grey is counteracting your point.”

“That’s being distinguished Gregory, not age.”

Greg began to genuinely laugh, not the quiet chuckle he’d been doing in school.  With a jolt, he remembered it was the first time that he’d genuinely laughed in months, the last time being just days before he’d split with David.

 

***

 

The car journey back to the school was quiet, discussing various teaching methods, and strictly subjects related to school.

 

Greg followed Mycroft to his office to pick up his books, and then they entered the staffroom together, before Mycroft got called over by the head teacher.

“Bye.  Thank you for the coffee, it was lovely.”  Greg said quietly to him.

 

And from that moment on, a friendship was formed.


End file.
